Instrument: CLARINET

The clarinet is a relative newcomer among woodwind instruments. It is generally said to have been invented by the Nuremberg instrument maker Johann Christoph Denner at the start of the eighteenth century. A similar instrument-the chalumeau-was already in existence. However, although the chalumeau sounded fine at lower registers, the clarinet boasted rich sound quality at both low and high registers. The fact that the name clarinet originally meant a small trumpet was probably also related to this characteristic of the clarinet.

 

The configuration that has now become standard was perfected by Klosé in the mid-nineteenth century, based on the ideas of Theobald Boehm. Since the instrument is based on Boehm’s system, it is called the Boehm clarinet.

 

The clarinet produces sound by means of a single-reed attached to the mouthpiece. The keys are attached to the cylindrical section known as the bore and are used to vary the pitch. Up until the first half of the eighteenth century, the clarinet only had two keys. However, more keys were then gradually added to the instrument to enable the clarinetist to play chromatic scales and clean notes more easily.

The batches at Ekam Satt Academy are divided as per the proficiency of each student. For your own assessment, you can go through the following guidelines: